


strike a chord

by starbirthed



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Humor, M/M, also eventual smut, and to add to the rarepair hell of terudai my ULT rarepair, expect humor nonsense drama comedy more nonsense angst ?, honestly this is purely for my own indulgence, of wanting a rockstar college blend au ?, so here we go ?, the slowest of burns !, this is a SLOW BURN folks, this was gonna be a one shot then i decided a small fic is better
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-10 09:02:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14734008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starbirthed/pseuds/starbirthed
Summary: terushima yuuji is the lead singer of rock band FERAL that debuted a year ago. he's known as a playboy, a wild child, unpredictable and electric. no one can tie him down and his only love is the music he makes with his bandmates. he doesn't see himself ever tying himself down to anything or anyone else. then comes in sawamura daichi, a normal college student who doesn't care about the entertainment industry or any flair or fanfare terushima has to offer. at first, terushima's interested because daichi's so uninterested. but soon, terushima finds that daichi and all his normalcy are more than just a game for him to play with until he gets bored.but is he in love? no absolutely not. never. think again!





	1. electricity cannot be tamed

**Author's Note:**

> hello everyone! here i am with another terudai fic coming out strong. this came out longer than anticipated but hopefully it's not boring? a little expo and a set up for the plot. thoughts , comments , and kudos are very appreciated! enjoy my second contribution to this wonderful and underrated ship! 
> 
> rokkyou is a visual kei magazine and i don't own it! sendai university is FAKE but sendai ? supes real obviously as that's where karasuno comes from. kagami is an original character and manager of FERAL. he's cool i promise. 
> 
> enjoy!

Someone was in his bed. 

A female someone, if the smell of perfume and the taste of curly hair jammed in his mouth was any indication to go by. His eyes cracked open slowly, sleep and eye gunk weighing them down. Beside him was someone he didn’t recognize. A normal reaction would be to freak out. For Terushima Yuuji, waking up in a bed with a stranger was a normal Wednesday morning routine. 

“Go home,” he croaked. 

The girl beside him stirred, yawned, and opened her eyes.  _ “Go home _ ,” he pressed. 

She scowled. The smeared lipstick made her less intimidating.  “What do you mean go home? You’re the one who brought me here! Begged me, no less.”

“Sounds fake,” he yawned, turning onto his side so his back was now facing towards her. She sputtered, called him some  _ not so pretty names _ , then stormed out his room. Hopefully with all her things in tow. If not he’d have his manager mail them to her. 

Well, probably not since he didn’t know her name or where she lived or what her favorite color was. But it was the thought that counted. 

He sighed, now able to properly sprawl out on his bed. Maybe he’d crawl out of bed to bring his guitar in for a snuggle. Mornings were definitely meant for solo missions where he could just exist and sink into the mattress and bury under pillows. He was drifting back to sleep when his door opened and someone sat on his bed. 

“Morning, princess.”

“Die, Bobata.”

“Rude!” Bobata chirped, crossing his legs and leaning his weight against Tersuhima’s side. Terushima frowned and reached blindly for his friend to push him off but to no avail. “I come in here, minimizing your damage by the way, and wake up you yet I’m treated with such hostility? Being your best friend has no perks!”

“What damage did you minimize?”

“Youko-chan. The model you rudely kicked out of bed after  _ nicely  _ asking her to get into it last night.”

“That was her name,” he vaguely remembered meeting her last night. In the band’s usual night hangout. He remembered her voice in his ears and his hand on her thigh and then her tongue in his mouth and after that it was all darkness. 

Again, literally a typical wednesday night for him. 

Realizing that sleep was no longer an option, Terushima pushed himself up into a sitting position. He blinked sleep from his eyes, yawning.  His hair was all over the place, bleach blond kicked up towards the ceiling in all sorts of directions like lightning bolts. He glanced at Bobata who was texting on his phone. “You going for her next?” 

“Nah,” Bobata clucked his tongue, “Not my type. I like a challenge.”

“Are you saying I can only get them easy?” he shot back, but there’s no real malice in his tone. Not like his next yawn did anything to help make him sound more aggressive.  

“I would never allude to such a thing,” his tone was airy but the shit-eating grin on his face said otherwise. Terushima flipped him off and rolled out of bed. He scanned his room and sighed. His pants were at the door and his shirt was on a chair. At least Kyou--Youko-chan had gotten her stuff before storming out. He scratched at his stomach as he headed for the shower. He smelt like sex and felt like booze replaced the blood in his veins. 

“We have our meeting in 10 minutes, by the way!”

“Cool so I’m showing up late, thanks for letting them know!” Terushima hollered before heading into the shower. He was pretty sure he heard Bobata yell  _ fuck you,  _ a perfect harmony to the chaotic laughter that bubbled from his throat in response. 

 

*

 

As promised, Terushima arrived to their meeting 30 minutes later. But it’s fine because he no longer felt like ass and he was stepping  _ out _ . Hair styled, earrings polished, leather jacket looked just beat up enough to be vintage but with the price tag to show it was definitely modern and expensive as anything. He strolled into their meeting room with his hands in his pockets and a grin on his lips. 

“Hello friends! What’s popping?”

“You’re  _ late _ ,” his manager, Kagami, cut no corners with him. Kagami was the band’s manager, and then some. Sometimes team dad, sometimes team  _ mom _ , and Terushima’s well... guardian? Savior? He didn’t know what title appropriately fit Kagami and no words could really describe it. Kagami was gruff, tall and well built--could fill out suits with ease. He always had his hair styled and cut short, curling around his ears. And his lips were generally slotted in a frown. Mostly from stress, but for the most part because Kagami and happiness were never synonymous in any context. 

Which was why Terushima enjoyed fucking with him the most. “Ah, am I? Technically time doesn’t really exist so if we’re following that logic I’m really on time. Because, you know, it’s a social construct.”

“He’s not wrong,” Bobata chimed from his chair, now playing with a DS that oddly looked like--

“Oi! Is that mine?” Terushima lunged across the table and reached for his DS. Bobata moved just in time, pushing his rolling chair back with a cackle and a spin. “Bastard how could you take my shit like that!”

“You left me unsupervised. I’m not responsible for your missing property because of your lack of caring. Also I beat the gym leader for you. You’re welcome.”

“I wanted to beat the gym leader!”

“You’re the only one in our group who hasn’t beaten her yet,” Takeharu hummed, drumming his fingers on top of the table. “She’s the easiest one in the game, dude!”

“Isn’t it because, and I quote,  _ she’s too cute to fight~  I want to make her my wife not another step on my way to victory ahhh~ _ ” Arata also commented, chin in hands and pencil perched on top his pursed lips. 

Rintaro yawned, “Isn’t it just because he sucks at Pokemon?”

“You shut your damn--!” Terushima got cut off by Kagami’s sharp whistle that brought the entire group back to focus. Kagami lowered his hands and clasped them together in front of him. “You could have just said shut up. That works like, every time.”

“Act like animals, be treated like animals.” was Kagami’s simple response. 

“That was deep--” came Bobata from the side. 

“Anyways,” Kagami continued, “You’re late. You know the rules and no excuses. Sit down so we can finish this meeting and get into the studio.”

“Kaaaaay!” Terushima sat down in his chair but immediately rolled over so he was sitting next to Kagami. He rested his chin on the man’s shoulders and hummed. “Lay it on us, Kags!”

Kagami exhaled slowly and started running off their itinerary for the day.  _ FERAL _ had a studio recording session today in the afternoon. After that a reporter from  _ Rokkyou _ was scheduled to get an inside scoop on a typical session in the studio with the band, plus some hints about their next album. Following that would be a photoshoot for the cover and then solo activities. 

“And Yuuji,” Kagami flipped to the next page, “You’ll be coming with me to meet the dean of the university we’ll be performing at next week.”

“Why me!” 

“Because you’re the leader of FERAL. The face of the group. And the only one free at that time to come meet with me.” Kagami replied evenly. “If I could take someone else, I would.”

“Ouch, that’s rough. You could have said because I was your favorite.”

“And lie?” Terushima gasped, snickers and whistles erupted around the room. He pouted and Kagami grinned. “Favoritism isn’t a tenant I practice.”

“Sounds  _ fake _ ,” Terushima heard Arata say. He opened his mouth to make a very witty and well thought out remark when Kagami cut in. 

“Don’t start,” he warned Terushima. Then he turned to the rest of the group. “Today’s studio session is all out. We hit the ground running the minute we’re in there. Our album release is scheduled next week and I want everyone sounding like they’re  _ pros. _ ” he made eye contact with every band member before locking eyes with Terushima, who had sat back now that conversation had turned serious. “You guys were an experiment, and you’ve passed your first trial. We can’t afford any mistakes on our second run. Go it?”

Everyone nodded. Terushima  _ double  _ nodded. His legs bounced up and down with unbridled excitement. Going to the studio, just the idea of it alone, could always boil his blood like no other. “Alright bet,” he jumped out of his chair. “What are we sitting around for? Let’s get started.” 

 

*

 

Slipping the strap of his guitar over his shoulder would never stop feeling so natural. A kiss could never compare to the pure electricity that ran down Terushima’s spine from his lips touching the metal of the mic. He strummed his guitar, adjusting the nobs at the end as he tuned. The rest of his band mates got into position. Bobata on the second guitar, his right hand man. Arata on piano. Takeharu on drums. And Rintaro on bass. Together they made the band  _ FERAL  _ the powerhouse, rock group of 2018 that they were. 

They were, in every essence of the word, just as wild as their band name described. The music they produced always jostled social norms, boundaries. Their first album,  _ JUNGLE WARS  _ was an eclectic mashup of different genres. The men trying out find out what genre they liked best only to decide they wanted everything. It was, as Kagami had described it, an experiment. The band’s existence was a whim by the president who wanted to try something totally . . . unpredictable.

And unpredictable they were.  _ FERAL  _ quickly gained notoriety for their outbursts. No TV host or interviewer could guess what they would say or do or think next. The president said that sort of electric movement, haphazard and dangerous, was just what the music world was missing. Terushima didn’t really get it. He assumed the entertainment industry was used to people who followed social conventions to the letter. Yet, when he gazed around the studio at the guys who had quickly become family in the past months since their debut, all he could see were people who loved making music more than anything else in the world. Fuck  _ everything  _ else. 

They were fun, a true and unadulterated riot to be around. Being with them, his band, was like waking up to a different adventure everyday. Sure, they definitely gave their manager a chronic headache but they were living their  _ best  _ lives while doing so. 

“Alright boys,” Kagami’s voice crackled over the speakers. “We’re going to do the first half of the album today due to our schedule. So, go ahead.” he leaned back, arms crossed, and suddenly the ball was in their court.

Terushima grinned. “Okay. Let’s do the first song. I wanna try a new opening I thought of last night.”

“Before or after you hooked up with Touko-chan,” Takeharu asked. 

“Youko-chan,” Bobata corrected. 

Rintaro scrunched up his face, “Seriously dude we just changed the opening two days ago!”

“Before!” Terushima responded. “Also, I know. But I woke up yesterday and hated it so I decided to change it before we went out. I was gonna tell you guys then I...forgot.”

“Cool, cool, love being kept in the roller coaster loop that’s your mind,” Bobata strummed a few chords on his guitar. “So you gonna play it or what?”

“Yup,” Terushima took his stance by the microphone and gave Kagami the thumbs up that they were going to start. Kagami pressed a button and the light above the glass window separating them from outside the booth switched from offline to recording. 

The thing about  _ FERAL  _ was that they never played the same track twice. So rather than having a track play and them sing over or play over it, they would hit the recording button and capture whatever magic bloomed from the chaos. 

For another band, such a tactic was risky as hell with the potential to end in disaster. Never for  _ FERAL  _ and not if Terushima Yuuij had anything to say about it. 

He was excited, itching to show everyone what he’d come up with. The idea  _ had  _ struck him last night after taking a shot of tequila right out of the gates. The same burning, explosive, throat-scarring sting of the shot reverberated with the kind of sound he wanted for their first song. Their opening song, the very first thing their fans would hear once they started the album. He wanted that same feeling--a burning that hit you right to your bones and sat with you for the rest of the night. 

He steadied himself. His grin was pure electricity. 

The first chord he played was powerful. Loud and  _ sharp _ , the note rattled everyone to their bones. Then, Terushima swiftly went into several chords, his fingers flying up and down the neck of his guitar. Explosive and reverberating, the sound only lasted a minute but when he was done his fingers were tingling and his lips--they were pulled in the most  _ satisfying _ , crazed grin. He turned his head and looked back at his bandmates who were all mirroring his grin. 

“Whatever the hell that was I’m here for it,” Kagami’s voice crackled once more. “Guys? Think you can piggyback off that?”

“Say no more,” Bobata replied. He turned to Terushima, “You’re a genius sometimes, dude.”

“Thanks, I know.” 

After that, the session went on pretty much the same way. The band worked together in chaotic harmony. Someone would change a line, a verse, would hate a phrase of lyrics one minute and completely rewrite a bridge or chorus. By the time the reporter from  _ Rokkyou  _ came through the boys had utterly changed their first sound for their upcoming album. 

“Now,  _ FERAL’s  _ known for their pretty unorthodox method of songwriting,” the interviewer, Shou, talked with his hands a lot. His smile was wide, stretched across his face, so much so that Terushima felt his mouth hurting in sympathy. The band had left the studio to sit outside on the benches, taking a much needed water break as they tackled the second portion of their schedule. “Can you tell us a little more about that? I’m sure your fans are dying to get inside that head of yours.” 

“Pretty sure that’s not all they’re dying to get inside of,” Terushima muttered low enough that Rintaro snorted. Bobata, who by default was the most mature out of the five took to answering the question. 

“Ah, it’s pretty--I don’t even know how to describe it… all over the place? We pretty much creative freedom to do whatever we want and we normally don’t leave the studio until we’re all happy with the sound we’ve made.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Terushima leaned in, arm slung over Bobata’s shoulder. “You see, our albums all have bits and pieces of our own style and ideas. But that’s ‘cause we work so hard to get the right mesh. We could spend hours on a song one day then the next we hate it so we start all over again. But we never end with what we started which I think is pretty cool.”

“How does that even work? If you don’t mind me asking. Surely you guys must worry that you could spend all that time in the studio and end up with nothing?”

The band members exchanged glances. “Nah not really,” Takeharu answered, his tone light. “Our producer wouldn’t let us do what we do if we didn’t get results. We’re a mess, but we’re an orchestrated mess. His words, not mine.”

“We’re also at the mercy of Terushima Yuuji,” Rintaro added with a smirk. “Just the other day the dude walks in saying: GUYS WE’RE CHANGING SONGS 1-5 ON THE ALBUM! Which is like, over half the album and we stayed in there for two days trying to match this dude’s pace.”

“Hey sometimes a tune just doesn’t vibe anymore!” Terushima huffed. The snickers that erupted lightly ruffled him. He frowned and pointed a finger towards Rintaro. “Sides you’re so stuck up with perfection if you don’t get the beat right we have to start  _ all  _ over.”

“It’s called setting the  _ bar _ .” 

“No it’s called being anally retentive.”

“Oh my God he really just said that out loud,” Arata put his face in his hands, slowly shaking his head. 

Terushima didn’t care, because now he was engaged in banter with Rintaro with Bobata as the chaotic neutral that neither egged nor stopped them from going at each other’s necks. The reporter could get all this done and publish how much of a highly functioning discord they were. As long as he was able to get the last word in, regardless, he didn't really care. Arata sat in the corner, tired as all hell while Takeharu sneakily captured it all on his phone. 

Shou, sadly, was left to navigate himself through the wild that was  _ FERAL _ . 

“AND ANOTHER THING--!”

“Enough, Yuuji.” Kagami’s stern voice cut through their antics. The boys settled down, Terushima even more so sinking into his chair with a pout.  Kagami sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I apologize for them. They’re hooligans.”

“Rude,” Bobata said under his breath. Terushima butted him with his elbow. He jumped with a yelp only to be met with Terushima’s childish but oh so satisfied grinned. “ _ Whipped _ .”

“Eat my ass,” he whispered in return. He turned to Shou who seemed to have survived their trip in the wild. He was still all smiles and laughter, apparently amused by their display. Good, another positive review for them. Terushima grinned only to feel it falter as Shou asked his next question. 

“Alright. So as I’m sure you guys know, you’ve repped quite the name for yourself as being Japan’s resident new bad boys.” 

“Oh word?” Terushima’s smirk was lazy. “We wear leather pants one time and suddenly we’re hooligans!”

“I wouldn’t say it was just the pants,” Shou continued, eyebrow raised. “If there’s a party in the city there’s no doubt one or all of you won’t make an appearance. Or cause a scene  _ somewhere _ . Japan’s hooked on you guys! Saying whatever you want, doing whatever you want. Especially you, Terushima-san.” 

Shou’s eyes cut to him and Terushima, relaxed against the couch, raised an eyebrow. “Tabloids love writing about your many exploits, romantically or otherwise. You’ve capitalized yourself on being this wild, playboy who takes no names and  _ all  _ the prisoners.”

“I dunno if I liked how you said that,” Terushima joked, but he didn’t deny it. He was all for strings when they weren’t attached. Tersuhima and commitment were like night and day. Never to touch, never to coexist in the same realm, always to miss each other by running parallel lines. This wasn’t the first time a reporter commented on his exploits, it probably wouldn’t be the last either. So he laughed it off, as he usually did. 

He let the world paint him as a playboy. Getting upset every time someone brought it up would be stupid. 

Shou didn’t look too perturbed. Asshole. “Sorry, sorry. I can rephrase if you like. What I want to know, if we’re going to be honest, is if you ever see yourself falling in love? Surely you must have met someone in this industry that’s caught your interest for the long run.”

All five of them looked at one another before breaking out into laughter. Terushima laughed the hardest. He clutched his stomach and hollered, tears forming at his eyes. Then they felt ice on their backs and a cough that no doubt came from Kagami. The men gathered their wits, Terushima being the last to come down from his high before answering the question. 

“Love? Yeah no, not in this century dude. Unless it’s to the music I’m never getting married. But that’s just me, Arata over there is a huge hopeless romantic. Lemme tell you about this female singer he’s hilariously in love with but she doesn’t even know his name,” it’s so easy to deflect, to move the attention from him and his behavior to someone else. Arata sputtered and Bobata beside him snorted. Though Terushima catches the quick side glance he sends his way. Terushima, of course, ignored it. There was nothing to talk about, and he wasn’t bothered by the question. His life was on display, of course people were going to poke holes. 

That’s why he always smiled and waved and gave them what they expected. No need in putting in extra effort to do otherwise. 

  
  


*

 

Terushima kicked his feet up into the dashboard, arms resting behind his head as Kagami drove them to the university  _ FERAL  _ would be performing at next week. He shot a glance at his manager who kept concentrated on the road. Even as Terushima haphazardly changed songs on the radio through his phone every thirty seconds. 

“Seriously can’t you drop me off at home? I don’t wanna go!” 

“You’re being a child,” Kagami chided, not having any of Terushima’s bullshit today or tomorrow or the day after that. 

Terushima  _ frowned  _ (read, pouted). “I’m not! I’m tired! I worked and slaved long hard hours in the studio! Got grilled by a reporter! And now you won’t even treat me to food!”

“We’re getting fed once we get there. You also ate five minutes ago.”

“I’m a growing boy, Kags!” 

“You’re twenty.”

“A growing twenty-year old boy!”

Kagami shook his head, chuckling despite himself. Terushima beamed, proud of himself for getting the stoic Kagami to crack even if it was only a little bit. Honestly he was happy to accompany his manager on the trip. He owed Kagami a lot. He dealt with a lot of his bullshit over the years even before his debut. If it weren’t for Kagami he had no idea where he’d be right now. Surely not living in a nice place surrounded by people, fed, warm… 

Terushima skipped to the next song. 

“Remember my rule?” Kagami asked as they made a right turn. Terushima caught the sign for the university,  _ Sendai University 3km away _ as they did. 

“Uhhhh, no sex before marriage?”

“I’m fairly sure you already broke that but no.” 

“Say my prayers before bedtime?”

“Do you get off on being difficult?”

“Yes, incredibly. It’s my kink.” Terushima stuck his tongue out, tongue ring flashes while Kagami’s grip on the wheel tightened. Riling him up would never  _ not  _ be fun. “Sorry about the songs! You know I get bored easily. I can only focus for like, fifteen seconds before the part I like plays and I wanna move on.”

“It’s amazing how your mind works,” there was a pause and then Kagami quickly glanced at Terushima. “How are you feeling?”

There was an undercurrent to his words. Terushima’s mind flashed to the interview and he shrugged. “It’s no big deal. I know what I’m doing and how people like to talk. If it gets us more attention that’s a good thing, yeah?”

“Not at the expense of reducing yourself to…”

“Kagami, seriously. It’s all good. I claim my man whoreness,” he smiled lazily and scrubbed through the song to get to his favorite part. The piano grew louder, the drums softly following suit, and the singer’s voice rising with the crescendo. “Honestly it could be worse. I don’t even wanna know how they’d treat me if I were a girl.”

“All hail the patriarchy,” Kagami’s tone oozed sarcasm. Terushima laughed and changed the song  _ again _ which caused Kagami to growl and Terushima to laugh even harder. 

By the time they pulled into the parking lot Kagami had angrily jammed the off button on his radio and almost confiscated Terushima’s phone. But he was took quick. He unbuckled himself and leapt out of the car, stretching his arms out wide as the spring sun hit him square in the face. 

“Wow, nice campus,” Terushima whistled, watching as college students mingled and chatted amongst one another. Terushima was concealed with the stereotypical civilian starter pack: a hoodie, hat, and shades. 

Sendai University was large, with white buildings separated by lush green grass with sidewalks running in between. College, a world in the past that Terushima was assaulted with constantly. Now, that time period and the entire prospect seemed like a far off, blurry dream. He never thought he’d end up on a campus. Granted, he’s here for his job but still… 

“Our guide is meeting us in the gymnasium.” Kagami adjusted his tie, loosening it around the neck. 

“Why the gym?” last time he checked they were performing in an outside venue provided by the college. 

“You’ll see,” Terushima was  _ not  _ a fan of such a cryptic message but his curiosity was winning him over. He followed with a grumble as Kagami led him towards the gym. He seemed to know his way around, and Terushima was scratching back in his memory if a conversation ever popped up about Kagami’s university days. He knew being a manager wasn’t his first choice. But the blanks weren’t being filled…

They arrived at the gym and the first thing Terushima heard was the sound of sneakers squeaking against the floor. He immediately flashed back to highschool. To days where his jersey was soaked and his muscles were sore and he stood on a court surrounded by teammates that felt more like family than his own. 

He’s grabbed out of his thoughts by the sharp sound of a whistle cutting through the air. Terushima watched as the volleyball players huddled together around someone, probably their captain. He said something that got the men energized before they all broke apart to clean up. Only the captain remained, who was approached by some old guy. The coach maybe? They exchanged words when Kagami called after them.

“Yo, Ukai!” Kagami hollered. Terushima watched as Ukai, some blond dude, turned his head. The minute their eyes met Ukai’s face broke out into a brilliant smile and he hustled over to Kagami for a hug. 

“Kagami! It’s been ages, buddy!” 

Kagami patted his back. “I know. Work’s been time consuming, but I’m glad we can cross paths like this. Thank you for meeting with us.” 

“No man, I should be thanking you.” Ukai pulled back and patted him on the shoulder. “The fact that your band could perform at our school’s music festival is… honestly amazing. The principal hasn’t stopped kissing my ass since! Honestly this year’s Christmas bonus is looking pretty hefty and I have you to thank for that.” 

“You two know each other?” Terushima asked, still shaken up from seeing Kagami actually hug someone. 

“Ah, right. Introductions are in order. Yuuji this is Ukai Keishin A friend from my university days. He’s the volleyball coach here.” 

“That’s me, Kagami and I go way back. When he told me you guys would be performing here I couldn’t resist hitting him up again. Ah,” Ukai turned around, back to the captain who was still in the gym doing a workout. “Daichi! Come over here for a minute.” 

Daichi, Terushima figured, was built like a house. Broad shoulders and impressive muscles, especially in his arms. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to the shoulders so as he ran, and his arms moved, Terushima could catch the glimpse of subtle flexing. He was taller than him, that’s for sure, and the way he carried himself as he strode over to them exuded casual confidence. 

This man was sure of himself, grounded in whatever concept or idea of his being he held true. 

Terushima lowered his shades and whistled, “Oh you’re cute.” 

“Yuuji!” Kagami hissed. Daichi blinked and Ukai choked on his laugh. “I’m sorry. He has no filter.” 

“Wrong. I have a filter i just don’t use it.”

“Which is a  _ problem _ .” 

Terushima’s grin was lazy as he, without shame, gave Daichi a once over. Daichi remained unphased, matching Terushima’s gaze. Terushima’s grin only increased. Would he break? Would he show discomfort? Or would he go on seemingly unphased by his behavior? The possibilities were endless and Terushima hoped he wouldn’t disappoint. 

Daichi, after a beat, simply grinned with his eyes closed.  __ “Oh this is your friend, Ukai-san? A pleasure,” he bowed slightly to Kagami who bowed back in return. When he opened his eyes the gaze he gave Terushima was  _ brutal.  _ Burnt, empty embers that held no amusement in their gaze. It rocked him to his core and he was frozen up until Daichi bowed towards him. 

“And you’re Terushima Yuuji?”  the way he said his name made ice prickle on Terushima’s skin. As if saying his name bored him, tasted like acid, or was a waste of breath to even utter. 

Oh. Well then. 

Terushima didn’t bother bowing back, hands in his pocket. “Yup. Lead singer of  _ FERAL  _ and Japan’s resident bad boy hottie at your service.”

“With all due respect I think I’ll stick to calling you Terushima-san.” Dachi’s voice was clipped. Terushima’s lips twitched. 

“You can call me whatever you like, babe~” Flirting came as easily as breathing to Terushima and really, he wanted to see Daichi crack, twitch, do  _ something  _ but Daichi was impenetrable. It was like Terushima’s words were going in one ear and out the other. 

“Okaay uh, well!” Ukai cut in, clearing his throat. “Daichi like we talked about you’re gonna take Terushima on a quick tour around campus. I’ll catch up with Kagami and we’ll meet back here in an hour to meet with the principal about the concert.” 

Terushima wanted to claw out his eyeballs. He’d much rather explore the campus on his own, or with Kagami, rather than Daichi. Sure, teasing him would be fun just to see how many cracks (if at all) he could put into that armor but at the  _ same time  _ the dude seemed like a stick in the mud. No fun and definitely a pain in the ass if and when Terushima got into trouble. However, he knew Kagami wouldn’t let him roam free without some form of leash. And, when he looked back at his manager, Kagami looked pretty pumped to hang out with an old friend. 

_ The things I do for the people I love,  _ he sighed, jamming his hands in his pockets and pushing his shades back up his nose. “Yeah okay. Whatever. Let’s get this show on the road.” Terushima drawled. 

Kagami nodded, “Right. Enjoy your tour and don’t give Daichi too much trouble, Yuuji. I’ll see you in an hour.” he turned and Ukai threw an arm over his shoulder as the two fell into comfortable chattering over the past, the present, the future, the whatever it was two old men talked about when they reunited after years apart. 

They left Daichi and Terushima in awkward, uncomfortable silence. Terushima looked down at his adidas then back to Daichi. “So, the tour?”

Daichi nodded, it was a tight jerky movement. Man this dude really didn’t like him. Who knew a little flirting was enough to set him on edge? “Right. Can I shower really fast, and then we can go?” 

It’s on the tip of Terushima’s pierced tongue to offer assistance. And the voice in his mind that sounded oddly like Kagami told him to  _ hold back _ but alas, Terushima was a man of no restraint so his flirtation fell easily from his lips. “Sure. Mind if I tag along?”

“Very much so,” Daichi had this way of saying things so politely yet so  _ sharply.  _ Like he’d stab you and smile through it all as you bled out onto the floor. Terushima laughed, watching Daichi turn on his heel and head for the showers.  

This tour would either end up being the death of him, the death of Daichi, or the death of them both and honestly? He was kinda looking forward to it. 


	2. to light a spark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> terushima and daichi start off on a horrible wrong foot. pissed over their encounter, terushima goes out on the town with the boys, hoping a drunk stupor will drown his childish annoyance. only the night doesn't end how he plans it to.

If Terushima had to associate a shape with Daichi, it would be one  _ hell  _ of a fucking square.

The man wouldn’t know what a joke was if it walked up and suckerpunched him in the gut. Now, Terushima wouldn’t label himself a comedian, per say. But he  _ did  _ know he was hilarious as fuck (the comments on YouTube and Twitter encouraged him as such) so making someone laugh was never an issue. Daichi never broke. Never cracked a smile. Never even batted an eyelash. 

He was all rigid and hard lines and powerful strides as he took Terushima around campus, rattling off with precision and clipped words the various buildings around the area. Was Terushima paying attention? No. Because sometimes,  _ sometimes _ , his eyes lingered on different parts of Daichi’s body. 

He had a square personality but a. . . well  _ rounded  _ body. 

“And this is,” Daichi paused, eyes narrowing. Terushima’s head was tilted down, shamelessly staring at Daichi’s ass. “My eyes are up here.” he said, words sharp. 

Terushima grinned wickedly, “Yeah. I know. The views better down here, though.” 

When he glanced up, to see what sort of face Daichi was looking, the heat was undeniable. Not in the way of intimacy, in where your eyes meet and you can taste desire on your tongue instantly. This heat was so fierce, it ran Terushima’s blood cold. Daichi stared him down, making him feel small, pinning him in place. His eyes were dark, molted, and completely unimpressed with Terushima’s behavior. Terushima frowned. He suddenly felt . . . wrong.

He hated that. 

“I’d appreciate if your eyes kept up here for the duration of the tour, Terushima-san.” Daichi was definitely using his captain voice. Terushima could recognize the expectancy of command and respect from his tone. How many times had Terushima heard the same tone back in high school? Hell, from Kagami no less?

He felt small, which he hated. So he coiled, feeling prickles on his spine as he rolled his shoulders back and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, whatever.” 

Daichi nodded curtly then turned on his heels, taking Terushima down the hall and outside. The campus really was nice, now that Terushima was paying attention. Lush green lawns and state of the art, white buildings. The students were out lounging on the grass, hanging out, doing homework. It was a nice day, sun shining and not a cloud in sight. He felt odd watching such a scene.  _ College  _ was never something he aspired for because it had seem so out of his grasp. And yet he managed to end up here, not to study but to see a different world from outside the glass. 

As they walked across down the sidewalk many students would stop to wave at them or say hi. At first Terushima thought he was going to be outed, noticed by the population and hounded by a mob of fans. He unconsciously reached for his hoodie to pull it down further but stopped when he realized that the weren’t waving for  _ him  _ but for Daichi. People would come up to stop and say hi. To pat him on the back. To crack a joke. 

And Terushima watched Daichi’s whole mood changed. He smiled, sometimes a little crookedly other times wide from ear to ear, cheek splitting. He could laugh. He could make jokes back. He was warm and bright but to Terushima’s back all he got was coldness. 

_ Tch. Seems fake _ . Which was a much more comforting thought than  _ you fucked it up with an actually decent dude because you, yourself, are not decent.  _

They ended up at the outside pavilion where _ FERAL  _ would be performing. The only thing set up so far was the stage, no lights or wires or equipment to be seen. By next week that would all change once they took the stage to rock the campus for their music festival. Along the way he had noticed posters of their band advertising the event. It was apparently a free show. Again, how Kagami managed to pull that off he had no idea but he’d give it to the man to want to give back to his alma mater. 

“This is the concert venue,” Daichi said, his voice back to the monotonous drawl he had reserved just for Terushima. “As you can see nothing’s set up yet.”

“You don’t say.”

“On the day of your concert I’ll be backstage working tech. I’ll have your rehearsal schedule sent to your manager to relay to you and the band.” Daichi continued, not at all deterred by Terushima’s attitude. 

Terushima nodded, “Yeah okay.” and then another beat, “So you know how to smile after all.”

Daichi frowned, “What does that mean?”

Terushima gave a half-hearted shrug. “Nothing  _ really.  _ Just that you pinned me down with a glare that could kill but to all those other people you were Mr. President shaking hands and kissing babies. So what’s up? Being fake your superpower?”

Terushima watched as the gears turned in Daichi’s head. As his words made contact and then, the wall was raised. He watched as Daichi utterly shut him out, his frown pressing out into a firm straight line. “No. That’s not it. I just don’t like you.” 

Oh. Ok.  _ Well then.  _

*

“So how was the tour?” Kagami and Terushima were well on their way back to Terushima’s apartment. After finding out that there was someone in this world who  _ didn’t  _ like Japan’s problematic fave, Terushima Yuuji, Terushima’s ego was rightfully bruised. Who the fuck was Daichi anyways! Acting like he was all high and mighty, bullshit! 

So yeah okay maybe Terushima was not in the right for ogling him for half the tour. For stopping to flirt with girls who had no idea who he was since they didn’t have the time to actually stop and connect the dots. And sure, it was definitely rude that at one point he had wandered off because he saw some kids playing basketball and he wanted to join.

But it was Daichi’s job to give a tour. Whatever Terushima did was on  _ him  _ to handle. Terushima had no reason to be… respectful.

He slid into the car seat, legs propped on the dashboard and frown  _ fierce _ . “Worst. Tour. Ever. Daichi’s a prick!”

“Oh?” Kagami said in his  _ I don’t really believe you but I’ll entertain you anyways  _ voice. “He seemed very nice when I talked to him.”

_ No. That’s not it. I just don’t like you.  _ Daichi’s words rang and rang and rang through Terushima’s head again. He hated how sick he felt, over some dude he literally met a few hours ago blatantly telling him how disliked he was. He shouldn't care. And normally Terushima  _ didn’t  _ care what people thought about him. He lived a lifestyle where everyone took shots at anything he did. Even if he sneezed in public someone would write an article saying how Terushima was the spawn of the devil and sneezing in the open was spreading viruses that could eradicate the population. 

Alright, an exaggeration but  _ still.  _

“Of course he was. Because he’s fake!” the words didn’t feel right on his tongue. He saw how Daichi interacted with the other students, with the coach, with Kagami. There was nothing but genuine warmth and kindness in every move he made and word he spoke. 

It was only with Terushima that everything turned arctic. 

“Right,” Kagami drawled, still not believing Terushima if the tone was anything to go by.  _ Sell out.  _ They reached Terushima’s apartment shortly after. Kagami pulled into the garage and turned off his car. “I don’t know why you’re so bent out of shape over this. He doesn’t matter.”

“I know he doesn’t matter but he’s! Annoying!” 

“Why, because he’s not falling at your feet or giving you the celebrity attention you secretly crave?”

“No!” yes. Maybe. Terushima didn’t know. Kagami smirked and Terushima scowled. “Listen that’s not the point. He’s a dick and I don’t like him. He was rude to me and I want him expelled!”

“We don’t have that power.”

“Well give me connections to someone who does!”

“You’re overreacting, Yuuji. Not everyone’s going to like you. Especially when you act obnoxiously with no remorse.”

“I am not obnoxious!” Terushima huffed. He refused to sit around and listen to this slander, this… attack on his character! Any longer! He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. “I can’t believe you’d betray me like this, Kags! You’re fired don’t ever talk to me again!” Terushima slammed his car door shut and booked it for the elevator that would lead him to the floor his apartment resided on.

Kagami wasn’t actually fired and Terushima would never do such a thing. But his words sat a little too heavily on Terushima’s shoulders for his liking. When he got to his floor he made a beeline right for his door, fingers flying over the keyboard to text his bandmates. 

**TERRORSHIMA:** SOS! WE’RE GOING OUT TONIGHT! I NEED TO BE BLACKED OUT YESTERDAY.   
**BOBATMAN:** you were blacked out yesterday. Literally.    
**TERRORSHIMA:** SHUT UP U KNOW WHAT I MEAN! R u guys in or nah???   
**TAKETAKE:** is that even a question???   
**ARATITTIES:** if ur buying shots i’ll come ^_^    
**RINTAROAST:** you won’t shut the fuck up otherwise so yeah, i’m down.    
**BOBATMAN:** leggo dude. Name a time and a place. 

Pleased with the easily won consent by his bandmembers, Terushima threw himself onto his couch. His apartment was big, he had splurged his first paycheck on the place. Outfitting it to resemble every bit of a bachelor pad, luxury at all. Not a single remnant of his poor upbringing to be found. He pulled one of his fuzzy pillows to his chest, mulling and stuck so deep in his bag returning to the surface seemed unlikely. 

“ALEXA!” Terushima hollered. 

_ Yes, Mr. Bruce Wayne.  _ Alexa’s cool, robotic voice entered the room. 

“Put on my  _ I’m in my bag playlist and there’s no way out _ .” 

_ Now playing JAPAN’S TOP 100.  _

“ALEXA! NO YOU DUMBASS, THAT’S NOT WHAT I WANTED!” 

“Oh my God this is so sad,” Bobata, who was one of two people who had keys to Terushima’s apartment, strolled into the living room and stopped behind the couch. “Calling Alexa a dumbass is kinda counterintuitive. Ya know, since she  _ is  _ artificial intelligence…”

“Who summoned you? Why are you here?” at this point Terushima was laying on his side, pillow to his chest and curled up in a dramatic heap. 

“Because boss man said you were in your bag and he didn’t want to deal with it. So I, as your best friend, am here to ask you what the fuck is up.”

“Nothing. Nothing’s up!”

“Uh huh.” Bobata leaned forward, reaching down to squeeze Terushima’s nose. Terushima yelped and slapped at his arm but with no avail. “So you wanting to get blacked out tonight is casual Terushima recklessness or casual Terushima denial and projection?”

“I’m sorry, are you a therapist? I thought you were a guitarist.”

Bobata grinned, “I dabble in both. Ladies love a man who’s good with his fingers and in touch with his feelings.”

“Ha!” Terushima barked out a laugh despite himself, then immediately cooled his features. “That was lame, yo.”

“No it wasn’t. Now seriously, talk to me dude. I’m not dragging your drunk ass home tonight if you’re getting wasted to ignore shit and not wasted to have fun. I’m no one’s mother and neither is the rest of the band  _ your  _ babysitter. So talk to me or I’m locking you in tonight.”

In another world, Terushima couldn’t imagine finding someone who actually gave enough of a fuck about him to be so concerned. Who’d come to his place at the request of  _ someone else  _ to check up on him when really he was… having a tantrum. No, it wasn’t. No Daichi’s blowing him off was an odd itch he couldn’t ignore. He hated not being liked, deep down, he realized. Whether that stemmed from a childhood of neglect and abandonment or his need to be solely the focus of attention, he didn’t know but. 

Terushima clutched his pillow tighter. “It’s… dumb.” 

“Try me.”

Terushima opened his mouth but the words stopped. He had the explanation in his head  _ Hi I’m sincerely bothered when people outright don’t like me and I don’t want to talk about why and it shouldn’t bother me but it’s bothering me and I want it to stop!  _ But instead he came up with ashes in his mouth that dissolved into smoke the moment he tried to explain. Bobata simply waited, though. Not pressing or rushing Terushima to give a response. Terushima closed his mouth. Then opened it again. 

“This… guy. At the college. Gave me a tour. And he was… such an asshole. But it was only to me! Like from the jump he… was so not on the same wavelength as me and like? It’s dumb dude. Really it is because not everyone is gonna fuck with you and I know I gotta rep but I, this dude’s just a college student he has no reason to outright dislike me but he… does and I dunno why and it’s… annoying.” 

It’s annoying because he knows he can be a dick himself, and that from the jump Terushima  _ was  _ severely out of his pocket. But he was a flirt to everyone! When he thought back on it, he could see why Daichi put him on ice but… that level of distaste was so out of nowhere. 

“...Welp,” Bobata started out slowly. He walked around to sit on the couch. Terushima made room for him and Bobata patted his lap. Terushima took the cue and put his head there, sighing when he felt hands in his hair. He was being coddled, he knew, for being childish and dramatic but it was nice to have his feelings validated and soothed, even if he was out of line. Bobata would tell him in no minced words what was good. And Terushima needed that. 

“Listen dude, you can be kinda extra sometimes.”

“I  _ know _ .”

“But I do know you know your limits… which is a huge improvement from when we first met. It’s definitely jarring when someone’s outright cold to you. And I know you have issues with that. But he literally doesn’t matter, man. You’re never going to see this guy again. He’s a college student and you’re  _ Terushima Fucking Yuuji _ who’s loved by many and disliked by a few. He’s irrelevant.”

He didn’t  _ feel  _ irrelevant. In the moment anyways. But Bobata’s realism and the warmth of his hands made Terushima believes those words. He sighed, feeling a weight off his shoulders and he turned onto his back so he could look up at his friend. 

“Thanks, bro.”

Bobata smiled, “Anytime, bro. You feeling better now?”

“Yeah, I’ll get over it.” a pause. “So like… should I venmo you for this session or?”

Bobata laughed. “Nah it’s on the house.”

“Oh thank God cause Arata’s asking me to buy shots and he’s a  _ boujee  _ motherfucker when it comes to his alc.” Already he was feeling a million times better. Talking to Bobata to get a peace of mind and some stability to his chaos could always help him recenter his focus. After some fortnite and a pre-going out ritual  _ Daichi Sawamura  _ would be a thing of the past. Drowned in shots, never to reemerge again. 

*

Terushima ran one his fingers one more time through his hair, admiring the way his spikes fell  _ perfectly  _ in that whole ‘I definitely tried hard to make it look like I  _ didn’t  _ try hard’ style. His band mates were also doing similar routines as they all piled out of the car. Terushima slammed the door shut with his hip and hit the little bob of his key to lock the door. 

“Hey Nishinoya,” Terushima grinned as the valet walked towards them. 

“Yo yo!” Nishinoya was short but what he lacked in height he made up for with his booming presence (and the extra few inches his spiked hair allowed him). Tersuhima threw him the keys and Nishinoya caught them with ease. “You picked the Hot Rod tonight?” 

The Hot Rod was just one of the horribly picked names Terushima had given to his car. He had three and each one was meant for a different purpose. Hot Rod was for nights where he felt  _ hot as hell  _ and ready to cause mischief. Which meant the rest of the guys better get on his level or be left on the curb. Not really but, the mentality was there.

“You already know,” Terushima’s grin was  _ all  _ feral as he and the band mates sauntered up to the club. They were heading to  _ Nyx  _ for the night, a local nightclub that was more local hotspot than celebrity watering hole.  _ FERAL  _ didn’t really party with the socialites and high risers of Japan as much. A lot of celebs were fake, or tried using them for clout, or were plain boring. 

Terushima, and the others, never wanted to make it seem like their party wasn’t for everyone. They were down to  _ get down  _ with anyone. A PR disaster waiting to happen, of course, but  _ FERAL’s  _ popularity was in part due to the boys being out and sharing drinks with the everyday person. 

They walked right in front of the line (yes they loved to be with the locals but they also loved using their celebrity statuses for their gain.  _ The duality of man _ ) to the bouncer, Asahi. A tall man who looked intimidating but really wasn’t unless provoked. Like a bear… if that bear was Winnie the Pooh. 

The guys all rattled off hellos to Asahi, who bowed and said hello back to each and everyone. A stutter found way to his voice every once in a while, but Terushima knew not to be fooled by the man’s timid appearance. When he wanted to be the guy could supplex anyone twice his size without flinching. The man was  _ tough  _ and Terushima had videos on his phone from the times Asahi snapped to prove it. 

“Nice to see you guys again,” Asahi smiled, stepping aside to let them in. 

The line went wild, noticing FERAL as they strolled in. Girls screamed after them and the boys would stop to wave or throw peace signs. If they were there for publicity they would have went back to sign body parts or notebooks but tonight was for them. A night to let loose and enjoy themselves. They could be celebrities tomorrow, after nursing a hangover. 

Terushima was the last to go in, mostly because he wanted to soak up the screams and the I LOVE YOUS a little longer. He raised his fist and Asahi met him a bump. “Dude you know this club is our favorite joint in town. Who else lets us get into a brawl and lets us off the hook if we perform for free the next day?”

“Uh… you’re not planning to do that again anytime soon, are you? Brawling I mean.”

“Depends on the night, my man! But if we do know I’m tagging you  _ in. _ I need a new vid for my feed of you body slamming a douche canoe into the ground.”

“Please don’t call me in for your fights!”

Terushima cackled, the pure look of distress on Asahi’s face was priceless. And oh so worth it. 

“Teru, come on!” Arata hollered from inside. Terushima could already see his squad piling into a table and ordering drinks. He patted Asahi on the shoulder and wished him a good night. Entering the club, he was swallowed by vibrant lights and bone bumping bass. The music was loud and the club was  _ packed.  _ It was nice to have it so dark, so he could move through the club relatively undetected. 

“Alright boys,” Terushima flopped onto the couch they had scored. In a secluded area off to the side. They were safe to chill and hang but also not be so guarded that they couldn’t mingle with the civilians. Terushima kicked his feet up onto the coffee table and shot everyone a ferocious grin. “What are we starting the night off with?”

“Tequila!” Arata bounced on the couch, reaching forward to grab several chips to shove in his mouth. “We already put in the order since you were being hella slow.”

“Straight tequila, by the way.” Rintaro added. “So prepare for the burn.”

“Baby I love me some burn. What a way to start the night!” 

“Please don’t die.” Bobata warned, on his phone doing whatever the fuck. Terushima leaned over, because he was nosy, and snorted when he found Bobata just reading manga. Lame.  _ Even though I’m definitely ten chapters ahead of him…  _ “Remember what I said. Nobody’s cleaning up after you tonight.”

“I don’t want you to! I’m an adult. I’m a  _ grown ass man _ .” Okay he had just hit 22 and finally learned how to do his taxes but that’s besides the point. “You don’t need to babysit me.”

“Can we shut up and take the shots please?” Takeharu pointed at the tray of shots headed their way. The waiter placed the tray on the table and bowed. Terushima raised his butt up from the couch to grab his wallet so he could tip the waiter. Once the waiter was gone he handed a shot to everyone. “What are we cheering to?” Takeharu asked, though his lips were quirked in a way that said he already knew what everyone’s answer was gonna be.

“To getting fucked up but not so fucked up we get arrested!” Terushima hollered, shooting up and putting his foot on the table like it was his damn ship and he was its damn captain. 

Everyone raised their shot glasses in the air and screamed, “AGAIN!” before downing their drinks. The night went on in that fashion. They ordered every shot and mixed drink they could. They started playing charades on someone’s phone once they got tipsy. And by the time they were either buzzed or moderately smashed it was time for them to descend onto the dance floor.  _ FERAL  _ was notorious for partying with the normal crowd, and no end of scandals or rumors could be stopped once they were spotted on the prowl. 

Kagami had given up trying to control them. They were an orchestrated chaos. They fooled around but not to the extent of ruining their careers. As long as they didn’t do anything so heinous their careers wouldn’t survive the downfall, they could do as they wanted. Because really, they were going to regardless. 

Takeharu and Rintaro made way for the upstairs because they enjoyed being able to scope the scene. Arata was already lost in the crowd, probably thirsty but  _ not  _ for drinks. Bobata and Terushima had waded into the throng of people, of gyrating bodies and sweat and strobe lights caking their skin. Terushima threw his head back and raised his hands, swinging his hips side to side. He felt so alive in this moment. Drunk and buzzed and coated in enigma thanks to the fog and the darkness and the strobe lights. 

When his eyes focus he finds Bobata pressed against another guy, chest to chest, hands on hips and under shirts and Terushima knows his buddy is gone and that’s good. They needed this, to just drown in intoxication and not acknowledge it in the morning. Speaking of intoxication, Terushima could totally go for another drink. He pushed through the crowd, dancing through as hands touched and reached and as he awkwardly bumped into people on his way to the bar. He made it in one piece, sliding onto the barstool. 

“Bartender! A whiskey ginger please!”

“Coming right up.” 

Terushima gazed up and down the bar, eyes shooting to see who was beside him. He always found his  _ best  _ hook ups when he was at the bar. No one was to his right, but on his left was a guy who was looking away from him. No no, that couldn’t do. If sober Terushima loved attention, approaching drunk Terushima absolutely craved it regardless of where it came from. The bartender came back with his drink, that Terushima paid for with cash up front. He took his drink and downed half of it before turning his body in the stool to face the man beside him. 

“Hey there. I have a feeling you’re pretty good looking but I can’t really tell from behind… mind turning around?”

The man flinched, Terushima noticed. Odd, why would he-”Is that really how you pick up people at the bar?” And then Daichi Sawamura appeared, turning around on the stool. He clutched his empty glass in one hand, the other holding his chin as he stared, unimpressed, at Terushima. “If so you need some work.”

Terushima felt himself sober up for a quick second. No way in  _ hell  _ had he expected to see Daichi that very night after a not so great first impression. What sort of fuckery was happening in the universe and why was he the one suffering for it! Terushima frowned. 

“What’s wrong with my pick up skills?”

“They’re crappy.”

“No they’re not. I get a lot of people with my pick up lines, thank you very much!”

“Ah,” Daichi placed his finished drink on the counter and clapped. “Congratulations,” he was monotone at best. 

Even in his buzzed stupor, Terushima could feel his blood boiling in his veins. Low but quiet, a distant rumble that roars in his ears. He’s sick of this, really. Of the unwarranted cold shoulder and every fiber of his being was telling him to burn it into a puddle of water to stomp on. 

“Okay dude. Real fucking  _ talk  _ right here,” his words are slurred. As he leans forward he wobbles a bit. Daichi regards him cooly, though he doesn’t lean away. Terushima rested his arms on the table, coming as close as possible to Daichi’s face. “What. The fuck. Is your issue. With me?” each clipped word is emphasized with a poke. 

Daichi held his gaze for what seemed like an infinite amount of time. The music blared but to Terushima’s ears it was subdued, like waves crashing distantly on the shore. He only saw Daichi, and the steeliness of his gaze and the rigidness of his shoulders. If Daichi was uncomfortable by the sudden question, Terushima wouldn’t be able to tell. He truly exuded a captain’s aura, never shaken--a solid and firm foundation. 

Terushima ignored the sudden quickening of his pulse. Or the way his stomach lurched. 

“I don’t have an issue with you.”

“Yes, you fucking do! You’ve treated me like shit since we first met.”

“We only met a few hours prior. I’m not sure what you were expecting.”

“I dunno! Not for you to be a dick?”

Daichi blinked. “Maybe the first words out of your mouth shouldn’t be  _ blatant  _ objectification of the person tasked to do you a favor.”

Ah. There it was. And Terushima, honestly, wasn’t surprised that was the root of it all. It was the first time his problematic behavior was so squarely addressed and called out. Not in a gentle way, or a guiding way as Kagami had done in the past. But upfront, brutal, and with every intention to cut Terushima down into ribbons. He sucked in his teeth. 

He felt a sting, and his stomach lurch, and the music suddenly felt ten times louder. Flooding his system, overwhelming him, a loud soundtrack to Daichi’s burning words. 

Daichi, seeing Terushima’s lack of reaction, sighed. He pushed himself off the barstool and fished in his pockets. When he took out his hand, he left a small amount of money and tip for the bartender, placing it under his glass. “I don’t know who you’ve surrounded yourself with, but unlike the rest of the world I don’t put up with obnoxious behavior, especially  _ offensive  _ behavior. It’s nothing personal, Terushima-san. You just rubbed me the wrong way, and I had no intentions of being nice afterwards. I do hope you enjoy your night, regardless. My opinion of you is meaningless anyways. I’m just a regular guy compared to a successful rock star.”

Terushima flinched. Daichi smiled, and it was so small and  _ pitying _ -the ignition needed to spark the match of anger within him. As Daichi went up to leave Terushima’s body followed. He rose, grabbing Daichi by the collar. The music was so loud, the lurch in his stomach strong. Terushima growled, unable to form words, but wanting nothing more than to throw his fist into the man’s mouth. To make him bleed, make his walls break, cause that foundation to  _ falter _ in some way just as the man had made  _ him  _ falter, internally. Shook up his false sense of superiority. 

And the way Daichi stared at him, as if Terushima’s hands on his collar was a  _ nuisance _ -as if he was a nuisance. He hated it. He hated this blatant disregard and apathy. He wanted this man to  _ break  _ even more than he had before. Not for pleasure now, but for sick self-satisfaction. Daichi looked at him as if he was staring down a child in a temper tantrum. Eyes cold and distant, waiting for Terushima to make the first move but he wouldn’t goad him with words. No, his gaze said it all. 

“Hey now! There’s no fighting allowed at the bar! Break it up you two!” The bartender’s voice cut through. Terushima growled and Daichi gripped his hands, pulling him off. Without a word, he turned around and melted into the crowd, leaving Terushima hollow in his wake. 

“. . . Sir?”

Terushima sat down onto the barstool and pulled out his credit card. “Open a tab.  _ Now _ .” 

 

*

 

How did Terushima end up here? Back to the brick wall of the club with the sound of cars and traffic and people muted around him. The world was spinning. His jaw ached. He tried to move it and frowned when he was met with sharp, stabbing pain. He thought back to minutes before he was escorted out for picking a brawl he wrongly projected upon. The man had looked like Daichi but was definitely nicer, if Terushima remembered correctly. Only Terushima wasn’t feeling  _ nice _ . He felt like a bomb. Unnerved and unedge and ready to snap at anyone he could get his hands on. 

This is what happened when he didn’t have people around him to calm him down. He flexed his bruised knuckles, wincing again. Ah, his jacket was gone and his shirt was stained with whatever drink the guy had thrown at him. Or had Terushima thrown the drink? He couldn’t remember nor did it really matter at this point. In his drunken, hazy stupor he thought of Kagami. No doubt the fight would be talked about on social media. A crowd of onlookers had formed after all. And with twitter came social media coverage and Terushima could only imagine what blogs and newspapers and entertainment reviewers would say on Terushima’s  _ latest  _ outburst. 

“Ah, I fucked up again.” he was constantly fucking up, with people and his life and those around him who were unlucky and became collateral damage to the storm that was Terushima Yuuji. He tried, really, to behave better. Really he did. As getting here, to this plateau of fame and fortune and having a  _ passion  _ for something other than tom foolery was a dream for him. A fantasy that Kagami helped to make a reality by picking him up off the streets and handing him a microphone. 

Right… it was in a moment like this. Alone on the street with no one giving him attention or mind. They had written him off as trash, as a miscreant to ignore. Another teenage outcast disposed by parents and the world. But not Kagami. Kagami had picked him up. Saw something in him,  _ star potential - raw unbridled talent _ , he said. Saw the look in Terushima’s eyes, hungry for a chance hungry for a  _ choice.  _

If Kagami found him again, like this, pathetic and bruised and sulking and drunk what would he say? 

“Ah, I gotta. . . call . . .Bobata.” he reached for his phone but he couldn’t , why couldn’t he find it? Fuck.  _ Fucking hell.  _

He saw rather than heard the person approach. Tall and looming down, but Terushima’s vision became murky. He frowned. “Whaddya want?”

“...Do you need a place to stay?” 

Terushima frowned. Stranger, he shouldn't go home with them. No he shouldn’t but the hand stretched out to him looked warm, inviting, and he saw Kagami and he would never turn down Kagami’s hand. 

So he took it. 

“I think, I think I’m gonna hurl.”

And the contents of his stomach poured out of him, on the street and his shoes and probably the shoes of this person and then, when he was done, he collapsed against the body before him and passed out. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was finally able to finish this chapter! and while it didn't end at the spot i planned it to, i did like the direction and now i have a solid idea of how this short story will end. thank u for reading the the kudos and comments! hmu @passionfruitys if you wanna talk about rarepair shipping hell and the PAIN.

**Author's Note:**

> hit me up on tumblr @passionfruitys. i just remade my personal again LMAO and i'd love to chat / follow you guys if you have personal tumblrs! peace out <3


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